Biological and behavioural rhythms of Delayed Sleep Phase Disorder. Delayed Sleep Phase Disorder is a disabling and prevalent sleep disorder in the adolescent and young adult population. Using an innovative laboratory method this project will carry out the world's first comprehensive study of it. The results of this study will point the way to an effective treatment of this presently poorly treated disorder.
Motor control of the upper airway muscle genioglossus. This project aims to evaluate a recent proposal about the motor control of the upper airway muscle Genioglossus. The upper airway muscles, the most complex in the human body, are critical for breathing and speaking, but are not well understood. Genioglossus draws the base of the tongue forward to maintain airway patency. This project will study genioglossus during wakefulness and sleep in normal healthy individuals. It is anticipated that th ....Motor control of the upper airway muscle genioglossus. This project aims to evaluate a recent proposal about the motor control of the upper airway muscle Genioglossus. The upper airway muscles, the most complex in the human body, are critical for breathing and speaking, but are not well understood. Genioglossus draws the base of the tongue forward to maintain airway patency. This project will study genioglossus during wakefulness and sleep in normal healthy individuals. It is anticipated that the project will suggest improved avenues for treatment of sleep related respiratory disorders.Read moreRead less
Understanding the physiological changes accompanying arousal from sleep. This project aims to investigate neural memory in upper airway dilator muscles. Following brief awakening from sleep (arousal), upper airway dilator muscle activity is elevated for 20–30 seconds despite inhibitory stimuli being present. The cause for the elevated activity is unknown. This project aims to investigate whether a form of neural memory contributes to the elevated activity. It expects to demonstrate that arousal ....Understanding the physiological changes accompanying arousal from sleep. This project aims to investigate neural memory in upper airway dilator muscles. Following brief awakening from sleep (arousal), upper airway dilator muscle activity is elevated for 20–30 seconds despite inhibitory stimuli being present. The cause for the elevated activity is unknown. This project aims to investigate whether a form of neural memory contributes to the elevated activity. It expects to demonstrate that arousal can induce a neural memory that is not inhibited by usual stimuli. The findings are expected to increase our understanding of normal human functioning but may also have implications for conditions where upper airway muscles are important such as dysphagia, sleep apnea and numerous other sleep disorders.Read moreRead less
Self-Leadership towards Innovation & Well-Being. Innovation and well-being in the workplace are of paramount importance in maintaining Australia's social and economic environment. Self-leadership training provides employees with strategies to build confidence and resilience, identify opportunities in the environment, deriving greater meaning and enjoyment from work. Self-leadership training has already been shown to improve performance; this project extends self-leadership research by testing th ....Self-Leadership towards Innovation & Well-Being. Innovation and well-being in the workplace are of paramount importance in maintaining Australia's social and economic environment. Self-leadership training provides employees with strategies to build confidence and resilience, identify opportunities in the environment, deriving greater meaning and enjoyment from work. Self-leadership training has already been shown to improve performance; this project extends self-leadership research by testing the effects of self-leadership training on employee innovation and well-being. It also elucidates the psychological processes underlying improvements in innovation and well-being. The project addresses ARC Research Priorities 2 and 3 and contributes to Australia's social and economic advancement.Read moreRead less
Withdrawal and relapse to sugar drinks. This project aims to understand whether damage caused by excessive consumption of sugar can be recovered. This project will study whether removal is enough to reverse the damage induced by excess sugar consumption. This project will conduct experiments to measure the behavioural and metabolic outcomes that accompany withdrawal from and relapse to sugar-sweetened beverages. The results will increase understanding of the extent to which damage caused by exce ....Withdrawal and relapse to sugar drinks. This project aims to understand whether damage caused by excessive consumption of sugar can be recovered. This project will study whether removal is enough to reverse the damage induced by excess sugar consumption. This project will conduct experiments to measure the behavioural and metabolic outcomes that accompany withdrawal from and relapse to sugar-sweetened beverages. The results will increase understanding of the extent to which damage caused by excessive consumption of sugar can be reversed.Read moreRead less
Site-Level Community Engagement Processes in the Australian Minerals Industry: A Comparative Analysis. A key principle of corporate social responsibility is that companies should endeavour to engage with, and be responsive to, the concerns of affected local communities. With the support of four industry partners, this study will compare how community engagement has been practised at seven Australian minerals operations. The study will assess the effectiveness and appropriateness of existing enga ....Site-Level Community Engagement Processes in the Australian Minerals Industry: A Comparative Analysis. A key principle of corporate social responsibility is that companies should endeavour to engage with, and be responsive to, the concerns of affected local communities. With the support of four industry partners, this study will compare how community engagement has been practised at seven Australian minerals operations. The study will assess the effectiveness and appropriateness of existing engagement processes, account for significant differences between sites, and identify opportunities for improving how companies engage with communities. Social Identity Theory will be utilised to structure the research and inform the development of advice to industry on effective engagement strategies.Read moreRead less
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE120100177
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$150,000.00
Summary
A flexible high throughput analytical system for psychopharmacology and drug discovery. A sensitive new liquid chromatography mass spectrometer will enable a team of leading researchers to detect drugs of abuse and therapeutic drugs in the brain and body as well as levels of hormones, peptides and neurotransmitters. This will enhance a large number of projects examining new treatments for addictive disorders and mental illness.
Reducing fire deaths - a new approach to smoke alarms. Disturbingly, those most at risk of dying in residential fires are also least likely to awaken to the current smoke alarm signal, now mandatory in Australian residences. This project will develop a new alarm (using Gibsonian, naturalistic sounds and/or a voice signal) and compare its waking efficacy with the current smoke alarm. Testing will involve three vulnerable groups; sleep deprived young adults, children and alcohol intoxicated. The r ....Reducing fire deaths - a new approach to smoke alarms. Disturbingly, those most at risk of dying in residential fires are also least likely to awaken to the current smoke alarm signal, now mandatory in Australian residences. This project will develop a new alarm (using Gibsonian, naturalistic sounds and/or a voice signal) and compare its waking efficacy with the current smoke alarm. Testing will involve three vulnerable groups; sleep deprived young adults, children and alcohol intoxicated. The research is innovative with important implications for community public safety, the national and international smoke alarm industry, performance based models of building safety and our theoretical understanding of cognitive processing during sleep.Read moreRead less
The regulation of desire by bodily state. Many experiences, like food, wine and sex, are pleasurable. These experiences are also desired, but less so when sated. The aim of this proposal is to understand how satiation regulates desire. We propose two memory-based models, and test them using several new experimental approaches. This is significant, not only because poorly regulated desire is linked to many social and economic ills (e.g., over-eating), but also because it is a key part of huma ....The regulation of desire by bodily state. Many experiences, like food, wine and sex, are pleasurable. These experiences are also desired, but less so when sated. The aim of this proposal is to understand how satiation regulates desire. We propose two memory-based models, and test them using several new experimental approaches. This is significant, not only because poorly regulated desire is linked to many social and economic ills (e.g., over-eating), but also because it is a key part of human motivation that is poorly understood. The expected outcome is a new theoretical model of how memory processes interact with bodily signals to generate both sated states and desire. The benefits include a new understanding of how desire is regulated and how and why this might break down.Read moreRead less
Waking up to a fire - optimising the smoke alarm signal. On any one night a significant proportion of the population is at risk of sleeping through the current smoke alarm in a fire emergency. Significant risk factors for not awakening include being a child, sleep deprivation, being a heavy sleeper, use of sleeping tablets, alcohol intoxication, and being aged over 60. Yet research suggests that a different alarm signal will awaken these groups more effectively at a lower volume. This innovati ....Waking up to a fire - optimising the smoke alarm signal. On any one night a significant proportion of the population is at risk of sleeping through the current smoke alarm in a fire emergency. Significant risk factors for not awakening include being a child, sleep deprivation, being a heavy sleeper, use of sleeping tablets, alcohol intoxication, and being aged over 60. Yet research suggests that a different alarm signal will awaken these groups more effectively at a lower volume. This innovative project will determine the best signal, with important implications for community public safety, fire safety engineers, the smoke alarm industry and our theoretical understanding of cognitive processing during sleep.Read moreRead less